Sheldon

Last seen for girls in 2002 at #11,108 · #2,765 for boys in 2025, 46 births
Given to boys 98.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1936 · 453 births
Debut · boys
7 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
36,676
since 1881

Sheldon over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Sheldon has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201978peak #247, 1936boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,76546
2024#1,93881
2023#2,31560
2022#2,15068
2021#2,04072
2020#1,87279
2019#1,534110
2018#1,396126
2017#1,335134
2016#1,356131
2015#1,279140
2014#1,143166
2013#1,054180
2012#942216
2011#1,066176
2010#984200
2009#1,027189
2008#952211
2007#955206
2006#841242
2005#772257
2004#760239
2003#767230
2002#11,1088#687265
2001#9,35110#601329
2000#10,7458#623301
1999#9,4799#552363
1998#6,36015#520401
1997#6,48314#475454
1996#5,28018#476460
1995#4,84620#458493
1994#4,23824#437520
1993#7,49811#446490
1992#5,71816#380608
1991#5,65916#414547
1990#5,83515#441501
1989#6,95511#484391
1988#5,89513#462387
1987#7,9878#462367
1986#4,34718#463352
1985#5,34813#480326
1984#10,4225#479305
1983#10,2755#491294
1982#9,2376#513274
1981#8,1287#462323
1980#468321
1979#9,0106#451322
1978#6,3859#448316
1977#7,5677#430339
1976#8,1566#392391
1975#6,4848#399368
1974#6,2588#411361
1973#5,5809#426338
1972#6,5587#440324
1971#6,6197#412382
1970#5,4139#392416
1969#4,41811#390408
1968#7,0165#388402
1967#6,0426#382390
1966#4,4939#386392
1965#3,40214#393396
1964#6,0096#393412
1963#3,45814#404398
1962#5,2937#384436
1961#6,5675#394408
1960#401390
1959#408377
1958#385412
1957#4,9187#373425
1956#363414
1955#5,8285#383353
1954#3,9679#354409
1953#5,6735#391323
1952#354367
1951#3,7149#380320
1950#4,7386#335404
1949#345377
1948#5,2435#336401
1947#333429
1946#323395
1945#309368
1944#310380
1943#3,8017#286458
1942#292432
1941#3,5597#283414
1940#284384
1939#285374
1938#262438
1937#257437
1936#3,1038#247453
1935#249465
1934#250462
1933#252429
1932#265423
1931#4,3315#272410
1930#282405
1929#276403
1928#276421
1927#302370
1926#303351
1925#318323
1924#329311
1923#380243
1922#391233
1921#406223
1920#422200
1919#416198
1918#455170
1917#470147
1916#488135
1915#493125
1914#51690
1913#56459
1912#46373
1911#60525
1910#78215
1909#65317
1908#65716
1907#66415
1906#56817
1905#1,2335
1904#68612
1903#73410
1902#74410
1901#63711
1900#69913
1899#1,0515
1898#1,0026
1897#8527
1896#8268
1895
1894#9546
1893
1892#7489
1891
1890
1889#8786
1888
1887#8196
1886#9595
1885#9365
1884#7647
1883
1882
1881#7067
1880
First appearance
1881

The first year at least five boys were named Sheldon! It came in at #706, and was given to 7 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1882–1883, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

See more about Sheldon
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 827 spots since 2024 (#1,938#2,765)
  • 893 spots since 2020 (#1,872#2,765)
  • 1,486 spots since 2015 (#1,279#2,765)
  • Biggest jump: 665 spots in 1906 (#1,233#568)
  • Biggest drop: 547 spots in 1905 (#686#1,233)
Rise & fade · boys
55 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1881
  • Peaked 1936 at #247 (453 births)
  • Births halved by 2007, 71 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 120 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 120 yrs · run 1906–2008
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,235
  • Highest: 1 in 2,235 boys born in 1934 were named Sheldon (0.04%)
  • Latest: 1 in 37,132 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #247 in 1936, was only 1 in 2,290 (0.04%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1990s
  • 13.2% of all boys named Sheldon (4,837) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s36#706 (1881)#844
1890s41#748 (1892)#906
1900s126#568 (1906)#728
1910s1,037#416 (1919)#525
1920s3,078#276 (1928)#340
1930s4,296#247 (1936)#262
1940s4,038#283 (1941)#310
1950s3,804#335 (1950)#373
1960s4,032#382 (1967)#392
1970s3,557#392 (1970)#420
1980s3,340#462 (1988)#476
1990s4,837#380 (1992)#460
2000s2,469#601 (2001)#799
2010s1,579#942 (2012)#1,209
2020s406#1,872 (2020)#2,180

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Sheldon in 1978

girls
#6,385
9 births · 1 in 170,207 girls
boys
#448
316 births · 1 in 5,196 boys

Top girls' names in 1978

  1. #1Jennifer56,314
  2. #2Melissa28,327
  3. #3Jessica26,102
  4. #4Amy23,213
  5. #5Heather22,270
  6. #6Amanda20,520
  7. #7Angela20,517
  8. #8Sarah19,976
  9. #9Michelle18,856
  10. #10Nicole17,279
  11. #6,385Sheldon9

Top boys' names in 1978

  1. #1Michael67,127
  2. #2Jason51,600
  3. #3Christopher47,236
  4. #4David40,684
  5. #5James39,894
  6. #6Matthew34,282
  7. #7John34,014
  8. #8Robert33,374
  9. #9Brian29,432
  10. #10Joseph26,663
  11. #448Sheldon316
More about 1978

girls

1,531,859 girls got a published name in 1978; 1 in 170,207 of them was named Sheldon, which outranked 44.4% of the 11,475 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sheldon
  1. #5,958Yvonna10
  2. #5,958Zelma10
  3. #5,958Zorana10
  4. #6,385Sheldon9
  5. #6,385Abagail9
  6. #6,385Adenike9
  7. #6,385Aditi9
  8. #6,948Aarin8
  9. #6,948Abeer8
  10. #6,948Adel8

Tied with 562 names at #6,385; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1977
Risers
  1. 4,240Aja#4,652#412
  2. 1,987Kiley#2,606#619
  3. 1,951Kylee#2,838#887
  4. 1,785Winter#2,780#995
  5. 1,620Kylie#2,026#406
Fallers
  1. 913Shalon#868#1,781
  2. 760Farah#854#1,614
  3. 519Tennille#462#981
  4. 398Shawnte#740#1,138
  5. 362Farrah#177#539

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,641,837 boys got a published name in 1978; 1 in 5,196 of them was named Sheldon, which outranked 93.4% of the 6,762 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sheldon
  1. #445Wendell319
  2. #446Benny318
  3. #447Forrest317
  4. #448Sheldon316
  5. #448Antwan316
  6. #450Jerrod315
  7. #451Emmanuel314
  8. #452Moses313

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1977
Risers
  1. 3,237Dequan#4,164#927
  2. 626Nicholaus#1,367#741
  3. 617Nicklaus#1,515#898
  4. 578Zebulon#1,476#898
  5. 424Anwar#1,121#697
Fallers
  1. 674Kinte#834#1,508
  2. 668Kunta#572#1,240
  3. 417Telly#732#1,149
  4. 415Lesley#937#1,352
  5. 310Amin#904#1,214

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1978